Belle & Sebastian

Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Rough Trade)
by Tim Den

To quote Fred Willard’s character in A Mighty Wind: “wha’ happen’?” This is certainly not the Belle & Sebastian I remember. Where’s the bitterness? The morose-hatred-disguised-as-boppy-songs? Sure, there are still hints of sarcasm (the title track), but the happy-go-lucky nature of Dear Catastrophe Waitress is so thick that you hardly notice anything else. Shit, the band even sounds all bogey-wogey on “Step into My Office, Baby!” Are you telling me Stuart Murdoch is on Zoloft?

While I was never a huge fan of theirs, at least Belle & Sebastian’s past efforts have occasionally lulled me into an early-’60s pop dream with their simplicity and naivete. But Dear Catastrophe Waitress is only for the diehards, cuz I ain’t about to follow them into la la land.
(Chelsea Hotel 222 W. 23rd St., Ste. 103 New York, NY 10011)